§ LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEYsaid, that before the holydays he had called their Lordships' attention to the inconvenience that was likely to result from the variance of the Standing Orders of the two Houses with regard to Railway Bills. The Session was now far advanced; and the House of Commons having announced their determination not to alter their own Standing Orders on the subject, it was obvious that if the present state of things continued much longer the whole of the railway legislation of the Session would be brought to a complete standstill. Under the circumstances, he thought it would be highly desirable to accede to a proposition which he had made on a former occasion, that the matter should be submitted to a Joint Committee of both Houses. It was of great importance that there should be no delay, and he should be glad to know if his noble Friend the Chairman of Committees 1928 would feel disposed to introduce a proposal to carry out that object.
§ LORD REDESDALEagreed with the noble Lord that it was necessary to make some arrangement to prevent the inconvenience that would otherwise result. He was quite willing to follow the suggestion of the noble Lord, and he would on an early day move that a Select Committee should be appointed by their Lordships to inquire into the subject, and also that a Message be sent to the other House requesting them to nominate Members of that House to serve on the Joint Committee.
THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDEthought it would be a more constitutional course to settle the matter by an Act of Parliament. It might, indeed, be necessary to make some temporary arrangement this Session; but he hoped that next Session there would be a complete revision of all the Standing Orders relating to railways, and that an Act of Parliament would be brought in to regulate many matters now regulated by means of Standing Orders.